Comedy Store   

Two years before Bud Friedman opened the West Coast Improv in 1974, Sammy Shore and his colorful wife Mitzi opened the Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip. At the time of its inauspicious opening, the venue was a 99-seat sublet room in the former Ciro's nightclub. Following the couple's nasty divorce, Mitzi took over the club, expanding the room and booking exciting up-and-comers like Robin Williams, Jay Leno and David Letterman. In 1977 Mitzi took over the whole building, managing the Original Room as well as the 450-seat Main Room for older, more established visiting acts. In those heady days of the 1970s Richard Pryor recorded three comedy albums at the club. Legend has it that Gabe Kaplan also hatched the idea for 'Welcome Back Kotter' in booth number three. These days the Comedy Store still reigns in its signature black building at the heart of the Sunset Strip, with three rooms booking everyone from top names to open mic beginners. The Belly Room showcases the newest comedians, often with no cover charge, while the Original Room offers something seven days a week, including more recognizable names on weekends. The Main Room carries on the longtime "Best of the Comedy Store" tradition with Saturday shows featuring name acts. While Mitzi is a mother figure to everyone from Jimmy Walker to Gallagher, her biological son, Pauly Shore, is often seen at the club on weekends, onstage and off.